orlando fha loans: FHA Streamline Refi Changes : No Income, No Job Required
- 03/14/11 12:54 AM
FHA Streamline Refinance guidelines are changing. For the better.
In an effort to improve its loan portfolio, the FHA is loosening approval standards on its popular refinance program, rendering large groups of homeowners suddenly FHA Streamline-eligible.
Now, that may seem counter-intuitive -- lowering qualification standards in order to reduce loan defaults -- but in the FHA's case, it makes complete sense. It's because the FHA doesn't make loans. It insures them. What's good for.....
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
FHA Streamline Refi Changes : No Income, No Job Required
… (1 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Loan Fees Set To Rise For Conforming Mortgage Applicants
- 03/10/11 10:14 PM
Beginning April 1, 2011, Fannie Mae is increasing its loan-level pricing adjustments. Conforming mortgage applicants in Florida should plan for higher loan costs in the months ahead.
If you've never heard of loan-level pricing adjustments, you're not alone; they're an obscure mortgage pricing metric and, thus, are rarely covered by the media. That doesn't make them any less relevant, however.
LLPAs are mandatory closing costs assessed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, designed to offset a given loan's risk of......
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
Loan Fees Set To Rise For Conforming Mortgage Applicants
… (0 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Federal Income Tax Deadline Extended To April 18, 2011
- 03/09/11 04:56 PM
April 15 is the traditional due date for federal income taxes. It's a deadline so ingrained in the American psyche that the April 15 calendar date is often called, simply, "Tax Day".
In 2011, however, federal taxes aren't due April 15. They're due April 18. It's because of a combination of holiday, calendars, and tax law.
The change centers on Emancipation Day.
Emancipation Day is a public celebration in.....
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
Federal Income Tax Deadline Extended To April 18, 2011
… (3 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Home Affordability Peaked Last Quarter; Purchasing Power Sinks 10%
- 03/08/11 11:25 PM
Home affordability reached an all-time high in 2010's last quarter. Unfortunately for home buyers in Florida , it's been a different story since, however.
As mortgage rates cratered, and with home values soft, the Home Opportunity Index reached its highest level in 20 years. The index is published by the National Association of Home Builders.
Close to 74 percent of the new and existing homes sold between October-December 2010 were affordable to......
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
Home Affordability Peaked Last Quarter; Purchasing Power Sinks 10%
… (2 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Military Personnel Can Still Claim The $8,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit
- 03/07/11 11:55 PM
For certain members of the military, and for certain federal employees, there's just 2 months remaining to get use the federal home buyer tax credit.
Eligible persons include members of the uniformed services, members of the Foreign Service, and intelligence community employees who served at least 90 days of qualified, extended duty service outside of the United States between January 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010.
Spouses of persons meeting the above criteria are eligible as well.
The federal home buyer tax credit ranges up to $8,000 for first-time home buyers, and up to $6,500 for.....
Read the COMPLETE … (0 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: How Do I Calculate My Mortgage Payment Without Using A Mortgage Calculator?
- 03/06/11 10:22 PM
Calculating an exact mortgage payment without a calculator on a loan is no small task, but there are some simple rules-of-thumb you can use to get a close estimate.
With the exception of the MIT Blackjack Team, performing this type of complex math in your head often leads to frustrating rants.
When coming up with a rough estimate, it is important to understand the individual components that factor into the overall monthly mortgage payment.
Yes, the thousands of dollars you send to your lender every year may cover more than just the mortgage, but referring to one simple formula will help … (2 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: FHA : Monthly Mortgage Insurance Premiums To Rise April 18, 2011
- 03/04/11 10:06 PM
For the third time in 12 months, the FHA is changing its mortgage insurance costs.
Effective for all FHA case numbers assigned on, or after, April 18, 2011, annual mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) will increase 25 basis points.
The change will add $250 to an FHA-insured homeowner's annual loan costs per $100,000 borrowed, and applies to all borrower's equally. Current FHA borrowers are unaffected.
To understand the FHA is to......
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
FHA : Monthly Mortgage Insurance Premiums To Rise April 18, 2011
… (2 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Make A Mortgage Rate Plan BEFORE Friday's Jobs Report
- 03/03/11 11:27 PM
Mortgage rates could move higher beginning tomorrow morning. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its February jobs report at 8:30 AM ET.
Home buyers and rate shoppers in Orlando would be wise to take note. The jobs report is almost always a market-mover.
Consider last month.
Although net job creation fell well-short of expectations in January -- just 36,000 jobs were added -- the national Unemployment Rate dropped to 9.0%, its lowest level in.....
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
Make A Mortgage Rate Plan BEFORE Friday's Jobs Report
… (0 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Ignore The Case-Shiller Index; Focus On The Future Instead
- 03/02/11 11:18 PM
Last week, Standard & Poor's released its Case-Shiller Index for December 2010. The index is a home valuation tracker, meant to meausure the change in home prices from one period to the next.
December's Case-Shiller Index showed major devaluations nationwide. As compared to December 2009, on a year-over-year basis, home values fell in 18 of the Case Shiller Index's 20 tracked markets, and the U.S. National Index dropped 4 percent overall.
The retreat puts December's home values at similar levels as compared to early-2003.
That said, buyers and sellers in the The Crossings area would be wise to take … (0 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Pending Home Sales Drop For Second Straight Month
- 03/01/11 04:21 PM
After a strong run to close out 2010, the market for home resales softened a bit in January.
On a seasonally-adjusted basis, the Pending Home Sales Index dropped 3 percent last month, and December's figures were revised downward for a loss, too, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
A "pending home sale" is defined as a home under contract to sell, but not yet closed.
The forward-looking index is.......
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
Pending Home Sales Drop For Second Straight Month
… (1 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: The Psychological Tactics That Supermarkets Use On Customers
- 02/28/11 06:17 AM
More than 50% of supermarket purchases are "impulse buys". You may not have known that, but the supermarkets do. And they've built their stores accordingly. A fool and his grocery cart are soon filled to the brim.
In this 6-minute video from NBC's The Today Show, you'll learn how supermarkets use everything from packaging to placement so that customers spend more of their money with each store visit.
Among the......
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
The Psychological Tactics That Supermarkets Use On Customers
… (3 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Assembling Your Home Buying Team - Knowing The Players
- 02/28/11 05:51 AM
Buying a new home is literally a team sport since there are so many tasks, important timelines, documents and responsibilities that all need special care and attention.
Besides working with a professional team that you trust, it's important that the individual players have the ability to effectively communicate and execute on important decisions together as well.
Real Estate Agent - A Realtor® is a licensed agent that belongs to the National Association of Realtors®, which means they are pledged to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
A few of the......
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
Assembling … (0 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: New Home Sales Crater In January, Opening The Door For Deals With Builders
- 02/25/11 11:03 PM
Not all housing reports are sunny, it seems.
In its monthly New Home Sales release, the U.S. Department of Commerce showed a 13 percent drop-off in annualized new construction sales between the months of December and January.
It's the biggest one-month drop in New Home Sales since May 2010.
In addition, the supply of.....
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
New Home Sales Crater In January, Opening The Door For Deals With Builders
… (1 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Existing Home Supply Down 40% In Last 6 Months
- 02/24/11 01:28 AM
Home resales rose another 2.7 percent last month, according to the National Association of REALTORS® monthly Existing Home Sales report.
An "existing home" is a home that's been previously occupied and is not considered new construction.
The number of existing homes sold on a rolling 12-month basis is now at its highest point since May 2010, the month before the federal homebuyer tax credit ended. It's.....
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
Existing Home Supply Down 40% In Last 6 Months
… (1 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Cost of Living Reaches An All-Time High, Pressures Mortgage Rates Higher
- 02/24/11 01:23 AM
Mortgage rates are up 0.875% since mid-November, causing home buyer purchasing power across Longwood to fall more than 10 percent since.
Persistent concerns over inflation are a major reason why and this week's Consumer Price Index did little to quell fears. CPI rose for the third straight month last month.
Wall Street was not surprised.
As the economy has picked up steam since late-2010, the Federal Reserve has held the Fed Funds Rate near zero percent, and kept its $600 billion bond plan moving forward. The Fed believes this is necessary to support the economy in.....
Read the COMPLETE BLOG … (0 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Going On Vacation? Don't Tell The Burglars!
- 02/24/11 01:18 AM
Want to help keep your home safe from burglars while on vacation? One smart way is to refrain from announcing your plans on various social networks such as Facebook.
There's other common-sense tips, too, as shared in this 4-minute video from NBC's The Today Show.
Drawing from a series of interview with former convicts, you'll learn that there's more to keeping your home safe than just locking the doors and windows, and setting.......
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
Going On Vacation? Don't Tell The Burglars!
… (1 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Five Myths About Home Values
- 02/20/11 11:29 PM
During periods of economic growth, when home values are typically just going up, most homeowners do not question appraisals much.
And in times of turmoil when property values are declining, home sellers and even listing agents quite often question and pick apart appraisals.
However, the actual appraisal process changed very little over the course of the housing boom and bust cycle American homeowners witnessed between 2001 - 2009.
Since the topic of home values seems to be a hot discussion, let's address the....
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
Five Myths About Home Values
… (3 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Fed Minutes Show Lower Unemployment And Higher Growth For 2011 and 2012
- 02/18/11 11:29 PM
The Federal Reserve released its January 25-26, 2011 meeting minutes Wednesday afternoon. Florida mortgage rates have been in flux since.
Fed Minutes are comprehensive recaps of Federal Open Market Committee meetings; a detailed look at the debates and discussions that shape our nation's monetary policy. As such, they're released 8 times annually; 3 weeks after the most....
Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE:
Fed Minutes Show Lower Unemployment And Higher Growth For 2011 and 2012
… (0 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Single-Family Housing Starts Fell In January, Despite What The Headlines May Have Told You
- 02/17/11 06:02 PM
Annualized Single-Family Housing Starts dropped 1 percent in January to 413,000 units nationwide, it's lowest reading almost 2 years.
A "Housing Start" is defined as a home on which construction has started.
Now, if you had only seen the Housing Starts story in the headlines today, you wouldn't have known that single-family starts fell at all. It's because of how the story is being reported.
Most commonly, newspaper headlines are reading something similar to "Housing Starts Jump 14.6%" with the lead paragraph making mention that "housing starts are at their highest levels in 4 years".
It's a true statement, but it's.......
… (1 comments)
|
orlando fha loans: Home Builders Report Higher Sales Levels In January
- 02/16/11 11:15 PM
Homebuilder confidence in the market for newly-built, single family homes appears stable as the spring buying season gets underway in Orlando.
The confidence reading is recorded and reported monthly by the National Association of Homebuilders. For the 4th straight month, the group's Housing Market Index reads 16.
As a market indicator, Housing Market Index has been tracked for more than twenty years and reports on a 1-100 scale. A value of 50 or better indicates "favorable conditions" for home builders.
HMI hasn't read higher than 50 since April 2006.
Broken down, the Housing Market Index is......
Read the COMPLETE … (1 comments)
|
|
|
|
;)
;)
;)
